Dear friends of underwater archaeology,
We have been quiet for quite a while since our last blog post and we would like to take this opportunity to update you all on the information that we are allowed to provide. First, we successfully participated in the 2023 Mentor Shipwreck Excavation Program, providing our advisor, Dr. Alexandros Tourtas. The success of our participation was not limited to providing one of Greece’s top maritime archaeologists in the excavation and the assistance provided by HAES founder Kosta Koeman. The primary success was establishing relationships with the Mentor team which includes several archaeologists, one of whom manages her own archaeological site.
The process for releasing video and images for archaeological work is first preceded by the Greek government publishing materials first. Our filmmaker, Chris Giatrakos, is putting together a film using footage from past expeditions of the Mentor and the most recent one in which we participated, to tell the story of the Mentor program. This will be provided to the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities to have reviewed by the Ministry of Culture and Sport. Upon approval, this film will be released by the Ministry of Culture in a press release.
NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH GREEK UNIVERSITY
Having experienced technical issues preventing the use of the laser scanner at the Mentor as originally planned, we are moving forward with a new partner, the School of Rural and Surveying Engineering of the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki (AUTH). We met in early January with the Underwater Survey Team hosted by the Topography Lab of the department (https://www.wreckhistory.com/about/?lang=en FB page: https://www.facebook.com/USTAUTH) and discussed ways of supporting underwater scientific research in Greece, engaging Greek research institutions and experts, as well as the prospects of Greek-American partnerships on a university level.